Nico Valenzuela

Nico Valenzuela was a 33-year-old Hispanic man whose life was cut short after a violent encounter in Tucson, Arizona, in the summer of 2023.

On the evening of July 27, 2023, officers from the Tucson Police Department responded to reports of a shooting at a residence in the 1400 block of North Columbus Boulevard. When they arrived, they found Nico Valenzuela inside the home with obvious signs of gunshot trauma. Paramedics rushed him to Banner University Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. He fought for his life for several days before succumbing to his injuries on July 31.

Detectives learned that the shooting occurred after an argument between Valenzuela and another man escalated. According to police, the two were involved in a verbal dispute that turned into a physical altercation, which ended when Valenzuela was shot. A short time after the incident, officers located and detained a suspect a short distance away from the residence.

The suspect was identified as 35-year-old Anthony Lee Brown. He was arrested and booked into jail on felony charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon with serious injury and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Following Valenzuela’s death, the Tucson Police Department announced that the case would be presented to the Pima County Attorney’s Office for further review and consideration of new or upgraded charges. As of August 2023, the investigation was ongoing and the case was pending litigation.